All Study Hall Posts

Everyone agrees with the idea that you point the microphone at what you want it to pick up. But there’s another side to the coin: pointing the mic away from what you don’t want. This perspective applies both for using a particular polar pattern to eliminate undesired pickup or miking unconventionally to find a desired sound. Take drum miking. Snare bleed in the hi-hat mic can blur the snare in the mix, especially for those drummers who know how to…
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Several years ago, a technique most commonly called “aux fed subs” has been developed for reducing low-frequency “muddiness” from front-of-house loudspeaker systems. This technique has resulted in considerable benefits over a wide variety of sound reinforcement applications, but there is confusion as to what it encompasses and what it accomplishes. Let’s clarify the details and describe the set up of an aux fed subwoofer system. We’ll also be addressing some frequently asked questions on the topic. In a traditional loudspeaker…
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This article is provided by Gary Zandstra.com. How many times—in the middle of a sound check/rehearsal—do you get a nagging feeling that something is wrong, but you just can’t put your finger on it? Even with the same system, the same band and the same setup every week, I still run into this situation more than I would like. (Or at least more than I like to admit!) What changed? That’s always what the worship leader asks. The specific…
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Could anything be more confusing than a “power rating?” The question “How many watts” can have many answers, depending on whether we are talking about amplifiers or loudspeakers. There are also many variables regarding how power is measured and specified. The numerous variables have rendered “face value” power ratings virtually useless. Why is “power” so hard to quantify? One reason is because it is time-dependent and constantly changing - much like the “value” of the stock market. We can…
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This article is provided by ChurchTechArts. One of the things I really enjoy about my job is that I get to help churches choose AVL equipment. I am not that enamored with gear necessarily, but I enjoy the exercise of matching features and benefits with needs. We’re in a golden age of equipment right now. There is a ton to choose from, and most of it is really good—or at least good enough. And we can do more than…
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It’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with technology. What used to be “merely” hardware now has a software component. Everything has layers, touch screens, and incredible power and flexibility, which is great. But the not-so-great part is that the learning curve is ever steeper. And while there are standards for MIDI, USB, .WAV, Ethernet, MADI, and many other methods of keeping all this gear connected and communicating, each mixing platform, DSP box and loudspeaker management unit has its own…
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This article is provided by BAMaudioschool.com. Once upon a time, there was no recorded music. To hear music you needed to go to a live performance. Eventually sheet music was printed and available to buy. If you liked the song, you bought the sheet music … if you were lucky enough to have an instrument and could play you could actually hear the song. The piano (or other musical instrument) was an important part of home entertainment. In the…
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This article is provided by Commercial Integrator It only took the industry a few years to figure out how to utilize the iPad in a meaningful way to improve the user experience of audio-visual technology. This isn’t a knock on AV, its just a fact. Most of the early iterations of iPad control and integration left something to be desired. The good news is we have moved past that. Today, Android and iOS are part of our life. In…
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Wireless systems are a key component in almost every facet of live entertainment production, especially concerts and corporate meetings and events. The demand continues to increase as the supply of available bandwidth is both shrinking and becoming more congested. As a result, pre-planning and wireless frequency coordination are becoming more important, particularly as the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is preparing to sell off more of the UHF spectrum where the majority of wireless microphones and monitoring systems operate (currently 470-698…
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Audio-Technica has posted the latest videos in its series exploring different aspects of mic technique, mic placement and more. Utilizing some of Audio-Technica’s most popular products – including 40 Series, Artist Elite, 20 Series and others – these videos illustrate various tips and tricks for capturing audio in real-world applications. Specifically, the new installment of 10 videos focuses on microphone recording basics for various instruments including banjo, brass instruments, dobro, mandolin, organ, piano, saxophone, small ensembles, stereo techniques, strings and…
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